Yep. Onions. While many people don’t like them, onions are an easy addition to many meals… and recent studies have found that they may have a strong effect on preventing oxidative stress.
What is oxidative stress? Aging, stress, and major events that affect the brain and heart cause it—oxidative stress is a type of damage to your cells. Usually, the body naturally repairs damage caused by oxidative stress and has measures to counteract it, but aging and other events gradually outway what the body can accomplish. Oxidative stress, besides being tied to aging, is thought to be a factor in many diseases.
So what do onions do? Studies found that onion consumption, in the face of events like strokes, left lower levels of MDA (a sign that oxidative stress has occurred) in the body. It’s assumed then that less oxidative stress has occurred, and subsequently less damage to cells (especially brain and heart cells).
Onions may help your body naturally fight oxidative stress. But how to eat more? Lots of recipes have onions, or can have onions easily added, whether it’s European, Asian, or Mexican food you’re after!
With breakfast, you can add chopped onion to an omelet (saute beforehand) or any baked egg dish.
For lunch, onions can be a garnish or topping, or a caramelized part of your sandwich.
Dinner has lots of options, onions can be added to ground beef for meatballs, tacos, stews, and sauces. If you don’t like onions, add them to dishes that already have a lot of their own flavor, or that cook for a longer period of time. The additional spices and vegetables will also help support your nutrition and overall health, so it works out even better!
How regularly do you eat onions? Knowing they’re a superfood, do you plan to eat more?
